


From Zero - A HyungWonHo Break Up Story

by slytherpuffphoenix



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Break Up, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Post-Break Up, how is that possible, i guess, i'm still not good tagging, that's basically it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-06-29 18:01:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15734586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slytherpuffphoenix/pseuds/slytherpuffphoenix
Summary: After a tough break up, Hyungwon has to learn to move on with his life. But what happens if he finds his ex-boyfriend again, in the first place he met him a couple of years ago?"And I don't think your mother is the one who's bringing stuff up. I think you still have that stuff inside your head. You just don't want to move on."





	1. Chapter 1

_Hey. Hi. Is this bottle yours?_

_Oh, yeah, where did you find it?_

_It was in the corner. Thought you could forget it there._

_Yeah, thank you. I would definitely forget it._

_No problem. I'm Hyungwon. It's my first time in a gym_

_Wonho. And definitely not my first time in a gym._

_Yeah, I could tell._

_Want help?_

_Yeah, that would be cool._

***

Hyungwon was sitting on his couch, surfing through channels. It always bothered him that sometimes there was plenty to watch on TV on a million different channels, and then other times there was just nothing interesting enough. It was really frustrating.

Especially since he got fired. He didn't like his job anyways, so he was not really angry about it. He worked at a McDonald's. Basic job for a young boy without (or even with) a college diploma. The ambient was not bad (his co-workers were actually nice) and his wage was enough, but it was not the best job in the world. He always got home smelling like fries and ketchup and with a massive headache from their turn's responsible manager. He just screamed about everything. "Hyungwon, don't let those fries burn!", "That's not how your position a sundae!", "The client is always right, if the little girl wants the Happy Meal with a girl's toy, you have to go through every god damn box and find one!". Most of the time, he wasn't even rational, he just screamed for no reason. Hyungwon supposes he just felt really important, being a manager and all; all that power was not good for him.

Hyungwon didn't get fired because of his service, though, they were just cutting employees off for financial reasons. The boy always felt like there were too many employees in one little room, too. Is it really necessary to have three people basically just watching the fries? Or four people to serve one client, maybe two at a time? It was a small town with three fucking McDonald's, there were not manypeople going there. And Hyungwon knew he would be one of the first ones to go if they wanted to fire people, he never really talked much with his boss and the former's boyfriend and friends worked there too, so there was not much of a choice, anyways.

So, Hyungwon didn't know what to do with his free time. He had the newspaper opened on the page with job applications, with a few highlighted with a yellow marker. He had already sent his curriculum to some of them, but now he had to wait. And meanwhile, he watched TV. Or played video games. Or wrote music. Or met with Jooheon, his best friend. Jooheon was a busy person, though, a celebrity. A famous Korean rapper in ascension. Not that he didn't have time for Hyungwon - he could always make up space to be with his best friend -, but he was not free all the time. So being with him all day was not an option for Hyungwon.

He was almost giving up on the TV when someone ringed his apartment's bell. It could be one of three people - either Jooheon, which was unlikely since he was recording some stuff all day; his mum - she visited him sometimes to check on him, especially after the break up; or the owner of the building, which made Hyungwon wonder if he had already played his rent that month or not, he couldn't remember.

Hyungwon went to open the door and he was right, it was his mum. She barely looked at him before she quickly entered the apartment.

"Hi, mum", Hyungwon said, while the woman looked around to see if everything was in order. She had her hair pulled back in the front and curled in the back, which made her look younger. She always looked younger, though, even after having her third child, she never stopped taking care of herself and her appearance. Hyungwon always admired that in her; her capacity to take care of all her three children and still be a strong, powerful, young-looking woman. Her energy and determination were really fierce. Just like she could do anything she wanted to with her life.

"Oh, my baby!" She hugged her son and patted his head, like he was still a child. Hyungwon shrunk a little and felt small, even though he was way taller than his mum since a very young age. "How have you been?" Her hands were on his arms, squeezing them tight, as if she was afraid he would run away from her. And that was true, Hyungwon knew she was afraid of losing her children, they were the only family she had and she loved them with all of her heart. "Oh, I see a newspaper!" She headed to the living room space to grab the newspaper. "So many highlighted jobs! Have you applied already? I can help you with that, you know you can always ask me for help, right?"

Her wide eyes and determined attitude made Hyungwon smile fondly.

"Thank you, mum. But I already applied for a few of them. The coffee shop is the one I'm hoping for to be accepted in. Seems nice."

"Yes, a fresh start, that's what you need!" She put down the newspaper back in its place and started to organize the random stuff Hyungwon had spread around his living room. It was not a total mess, but it wasn't also completely neat. It had been worse, though.

"I'm so happy you're keeping yourself together, Wonnie!" She went to the kitchen space and put some dirty wishes in the sink, always moving, always having something to do. "Oh, I can't believe it, you ordered pizza last night? I teached you some actually easy and good recipes last time I was here and you still prefer pizza?!"

"Mum, I can't cook everyday for every meal, that's exhausting."

"I raised three children as a single mum and I didn't order food every other day." Hyungwon rolled his eyes while his mum kept on tidying dishes. "One of the only things that boy was good at was cooking, I can't believe you learned nothing from it."

She turned around and stopped for a second to look at her son. He had his head facing down and he was scratching his arm, embarrassed and a bit sad.

"Sorry. I shouldn't bring him up."

"S'okay, mum." Hyungwon ran a hand through his hair, trying to look happier for his mum. "How are things with my sisters? I haven't talked to them in a while now."

"Well, they're good", his mother replied, looking at him. "Living their lives, happy. I hope. You can call them if you want to know."

"I know." Hyungwon smiled and headed to the kitchen. "Do you want something? I have some coffee."

"Yeah, maybe, thank you, Wonie."

Hyungwon made coffee for the both of them and then they sat on the couch in the living room. They were talking about life when Hyungwon got a message from Jooheon. He quickly grabbed his phone, forgetting about the photography he had under it. He had been looking at it before his mum got there and before he decided to watch TV.

"Hyungwonie...", his mother mumbled, after seeing the photo. The boy quickly grabbed it and tried to hide it inside his hand, even though he knew his mother had already clearly seen it. "You still have that...?"

"Hum... yes?" Hyungwon looked at her, still hiding the photo on his hand. His mother carefully reached for it and took it from him. Hyungwon let her.

The lady stared at the photo. It was taken in Paris, right in front of the Eiffel Tower. The sky was dark blue and the tower's lights were on, taking the shape of a gorgeous, yellowish structure. Smiling in front of it was Hyungwon, tall and thin, with his arm around Hoseok's shoulders. His ex-boyfriend also had a happy expression; they were having the time of their lives.

"Hyungwon-ah, you should get rid of this."

"But, mum..."

"Hyungwon..."

They boy sighed and took the photo back from his mum. He looked at it, once again. It used to have a sense of happiness and excitement connected to it, but now everything Hyungwon could see in it was sadness and regret. And also a big feeling of nostalgia. It was so hard to admit, but the boy missed those times. When everything was clear and joyful, before the confusion and the tears. When everything was perfect.

"Stop looking at it, at least. It makes you sad." She put her hand over his knee and lightly rubbed her thumb. "I don't like to see you sad."

Hyungwon looked at her for a while and then he got up. He brought a little wooden box from his bedroom and opened it. Inside, it had some jewelry and accessories he didn't really use but that were valuable, so he kept them.

"I never open this, I guess this is a good place." His mother smiled and hugged him tight.

"My precious little boy, I love you so much!"

"Mum, you're strangling me", Hyungwon warned, trying to get rid of his mum's arms.

"Oh yes, sorry, baby." She smiled, fondly.

"Well, let's go dinner somewhere, shall we?"

***

"And like, he was not even being rude? I just think... I don't know. I don't trust him."

"I mean, the song is yours, you do whatever you want with it."

"That's not really how things work, you know?" They both laugh and kept drinking their coffees.

Hyungwon and Jooheon were hanging out on a Saturday morning in their favourite coffee shop. It was nice in there - the cafe had a lot of natural light and a really relaxing and calming nature inspired decoration. The walls were wooden and there were plants hanging everywhere from the ceiling. And the employees were nice and smiley, it really had a good working environment. Besides, the food and drinks were really good, always warm and tasteful, it made you feel like home. Hyungwon dreamed to work there, but they were not accepting applications at the moment.

Their coffees were almost ending and Jooheon was still talking about his life and his new tracks. It was all really exciting, hearing him talking about all the good things he was going through. It was being a great year for his career.

"What about you, Hyungwon-ah?", Jooheon asked, after taking one of the last sips of his coffee. "How are things?"

"My mum's in town." He looked up at his best friend. "And she's good. Good as always." He softly rolled his eyes before continuing. "I can't help but think she's still worried about me. I mean, she's obviously worried about me. But I can't get better if she keeps bringing it up."

Jooheon knew what he was talking about. The break up. Those dark, sad months that were the beginning of that year. Even though it was already almost six months ago, Jooheon knew Hyungwon was still not okay. Not completely. He just loved that man so much and he was apparently so happy. It must have been really hard. Since Hyungwon was the one to break apart first.

"I think you're getting better, though." Jooheon always tried to say the positive things, the stuff he thought Hyungwon wanted to hear. And other times, Jooheon just said the truth, the raw one, the one his best friend needed to hear. "And I don't think your mother is the one who's bringing stuff up. I think you still have that stuff inside your head. You just don't want to move on."

"Jooheon-ah~"

"You know it's true."

"But that's hard..."

"You have to start somewhere."

They went silent for a bit, alone with their own thoughts. Hyungwon knew Jooheon was right. He couldn't move on, because he didn't want to. He was waiting for the miracle to happen.

"Hey, Hyungwonie", Jooheon called, quietly and looking past the boy, to something or someone behind him. "You know that guy who works here, the one with the glasses and black hair?" Hyungwon nodded, they knew the cafe's employees since forever, though they never really knew their names or ages or hobbies. It was weird. "Don't you think he's cute?"

Hyungwon had to turn around to look at him again. Jooheon was not blind, but he was not gay either, so sometimes, when it came to boys, their opinions diverged a lot. Jooheon couldn't bare Hyungwon's ex-boyfriend's biceps, for example. Hyungwon always thought they were incredible.

"Yeah, I like his freckles."

"He has _freckles_?" Hyungwon looked at him in shock; the freckles were, like, the first thing you'd notice in him. "Anyways, you should talk with him. He seems nice." Only then Hyungwon understood what Jooheon was trying to do.

"No way!" Hyungwon widened his eyes and blushed. "I can't believe you're trying to... Jooheon!" It was too late, his best friend was already calling the boy to their table. Unbelievable.

"Hi, can I help you?", the cute guy asked, with a wide smile on his face. He didn't have any foundation on it, so the freckles were popping out. Hyungwon was trying to cover his face with his hand, wanting to bury himself on a hole.

"Hi, my friend wanted to talk with you." Hyungwon almost choked on his own saliva when he heard that. He slowly got his hand out of his face and tried to say something.

"Hi." It was a weak, quiet "hi" and Hyungwon blushed even more than he already had.

"Hi?" The boy was confused as hell, but he still had the smile.

"Hum..." Hyungwon looked over at Jooheon. His friend had his bright eyes and huge smile telling him to keep going. "I like... your freckles. They're cute."

"Oh, thanks." The cute boy shyly smiled and adjusted his glasses. Hyungwon noticed some blushing, too. "Do you... do you want, hum, anything else?" His hands nervously moved  in his apron. The boys were staring at each other.

"He wants a sweet", Jooheon said after a few seconds of Hyungwon not replying.

"Oh, yes", Hyungwon said, as he woke up from his daydreaming.

"What kind of sweet?", the boy asked, getting himself together too.

"Surprise me." Hyungwon couldn't belive he actually said that. The need of hiding in a hole and never come back grew even more.

"Oh, okay." The cute employee excused himself and went back to the counter.

Hyungwon was hiding behind his sleeves and melting through the chair, while Jooheon laughed and patted his hand.

"Was it that difficult?"

"It was."

Some minutes after, the cute boy was giving a chocolate cake with cream and strawberries to Hyungwon. And the former couldn't belive the boy just gave him his favourite.

***

He didn't want to go but his mother made him do it. "You're too thin", she said, "you need to get some muscles." 

That's how he ended up in a gym. The gym, actually. The one where he first met Hoseok. Because it's the only one in town. Which is funny, since there are three McDonald's in the same amount of space. That's why every middle-aged person looked obese in the town. And maybe that's also why Hyungwon's mother looked so young, in comparison.

He didn't even know where to begin. Last time he was there, he was distracted by Hoseok's weight lifts, so he really didn't focus on what he was actually teaching him. This time, he decided to start with something he definitely knew how it worked (or at least he thought he knew) - the bicycles. It must not be that hard, it's just like a normal bicycle. Hyungwon had one of those when he was younger, but then it passed to his younger sister and now she has it. Hyungwon doesn't really miss it, though, he cried more over its seat than he ever laughed. He was not good at it. Balance issues and stuff. Though, he didn't need balance to ride a gym one, so it seemed like a good option.

He got tired after ten minutes. He was really needing this, some physical exercise. He gave up on the bicycles and tried something else instead. Like the weight lifting machines. When he got to those they were almost all occupied, and because he didn't want to leave a bad and sad impression on the other people next to him, he waited for it to become a little more empty. Meanwhile he went to grab his water bottle, to pretend he had been working hard.

And then he saw it. Next to his water bottle. Another one, with a blue thermal case and a name written on it. Shin Hoseok. It was definitely his ex-boyfriend's water bottle.

It wasn't hard to find him after that, he was obviously weight lifting. He was just some steps away from him. Hyungwon could easily go there. So easily.

And he did. With the water bottle in his hand.

"Hey. Hi." Hoseok looked up at him. Hyungwon fixed his eyes. "Is this bottle yours?"


	2. Chapter 2

_I bought you something. It reminded me of you._

_Wow, Hoseok-hyung... it's beautiful._

_Just like you._

_Now I feel bad for not having anything for you..._

_I bought one for me too. Now we have matching necklaces._

_That's really cute._

_You're cuter._

_Oh, shut up._

***

"I still think it's a bad idea, Hyungwonie."

"Come on, I need your support, Jooheon."

The two friends were walking around the town, with no destination, eating an ice cream and appreciating the view. Jooheon had finally finished the track he was working on and his manager decided to give him an off-day. 

"Jooheon-ah!", someone screamed behind them. They turned around at the same time. There were two teenage girls running to them, still screaming Jooheon's name, even though he had already hear them. "Jooheon-oppa! We know you! We like your music so much!"

It happened sometimes, mostly when Hyungwon was with him, because those were the only times Jooheon would leave home or his studio. Hyungwon didn't mind, Jooheon was famous, after all, and he couldn't say no to his fans. The older boy stepped back a little, to let Jooheon be with his fans alone. 

"Sorry, Hyungwonie", Jooheon said after saying goodbye to the girls, who walked away still screaming and jumping. 

"It's okay." Hyungwon smiled. "They seemed... excited?" Jooheon laughed a bit and looked at them walking away.

"Yeah, they say they're fans since my debut. I'm their idol and stuff. They're really nice." Hyungwon could see Jooheon was happy, by his beautiful, genuine smile.

They walked a bit more, until they reached the coffee shop. They didn't enter it, they just sat in one of the benches from the park across the cafe. It had a soft, private ambience there, so they liked it as much as they liked the coffee shop.

"Anyways, Hyungwonie, I'm saying this as your best friend, who knows you since elementary.", Jooheon was saying, worried. "You should not date Hoseok again. I mean, at least be careful."

"Jooheon-ah", Hyungwon sighed, confident that he was doing all the right things this time. "We're rewriting our story, from zero. Isn't that amazing?" Jooheon didn't seem convinced. "We can be with each other again, we know what didn't work last time, we can make it better!"

"Hyungwon-ah~"

"He's taking me on a date, a picnic on the park, just like our first date. That's really sweet."

"It was sweet the first time, too, but look how it ended...", Jooheon mumbled. Hyungwon rolled his eyes.

"Did you, like, listen to what I just said, Jooheon-ah?" Jooheon shrugged and sighed. There was no way he would convince him that what he was doing was completely irrational and crazy.

"Whatever." Jooheon finished his ice cream and got up. "Let's go to your house, I wanna play video games."

***

Hyungwon arrived early, but apparently Hoseok arrived earlier. He had his hair falling in front of his eyes and a cute, soft smile on his face. His outfit made his best features outstand - a leather jacket, which made his shoulders look even wider, over a grey, patterned shirt, unbottomed next to his neck and over his chest, and some ripped, black, tight jeans. The boots were the same black, shiny ones as always, Hyungwon's favourites. The boy also had two boxes on his hands, probably with food on them. Behind him, he had already set a blue and white picnic towel, with some white flowers carefully spread on it. Hyungwon couldn't help but smile too.

"Hi."

"Hi."

They didn't know how to greet each other after such a long time. So they stayed there for a while, looking at each other. When Hoseok bit his bottom lip, Hyungwon looked down, embarrassed.

"I cooked us some food, come on." Hoseok softly grabbed Hyungwon's arm and lead him to the picnic towel. They sat face-to-face, Hyungwon with his legs crossed, and Hoseok grabbing one with one arm and letting the other stretched. He then put the boxes in the middle of them and opened them. "I cooked some kimbap for both of us. Hope you like it."

"Thank you." Hyungwon smiled and looked at him. They were longly staring at each other, again. They really missed each other.

"Oh, you need sticks, wait a second", Hoseok said, returning to reality. He searched in his black bag for chopsticks. "Here."

"Thank you."

They started to eat, silently. Neither of them wanted to screw things up, obviously. Hyungwon was the one to eventually break the ice.

"This is really good, hyung." Hoseok looked at him, proud of himself.

"It's a new recipe, the one I used to make was a little boring."

"Yeah, this is definitely better."

The rest of the conversation went normal. They avoided talking about the past, though, they just kept talking about their lives as if they didn't know each other before. And things were working, for now, which made Hyungwon happy. It was just like the first time, except they now knew what to avoid, which was perfect.

After eating and chating, they decided to go walk for a little. They stopped by a little river there was near the park. They headed to a small wooden bridge to enjoy the view a bit more.

"The sky is so pretty today", Hyungwon stated, lost on the beautiful colour gradient from light pink to dark blue.

"Not as pretty as you." Hoseok had always a way to make Hyungwon blush and melt on the inside. Were it silly jokes or flirty, random statements, the younger boy loved it when Hoseok was able to get him all flustered and shy. It was one of his weaknesses.

"Don't be silly, hyungie." Hoseok soflty laughed.

"You can drop the formalities. It's me, you know you can." Hyungwon looked at him. Of course he didn't call him "hyung" anymore, but it was fun to start things from the very beginning, so he thought treating him formaly again would keep things exactly as they were when they started dating.

"I know... but we're starting from zero, aren't we?"

"Okay, however you wish." Hoseok's smile was so soft and charming and Hyungwon couldn't stop staring at it. 

"Hyungwonie...", Hoseok said, after more staring. "I have something for you."

Hyungwon's eyes shined brighter at those words. Hoseok was always so caring and thoughtful, of course he had something for him. Just like in their first date.

Hoseok put his hand on his bag and searched until he found it. He grabbed it and showed it to Hyungwon. The younger boy couldn't believe his eyes. His heart was pounding so fast, that the boy felt like crying.

"I found it and fixed it. And I brought mine too."

He was now holding two white necklaces, with two beautiful silver birds attached to them. Two years ago, he said they represented happiness and pure, just like Hoseok visualized Hyungwon. About seven months before, the younger boy had thrown his through the apartment's window, during a massive fight. And now they were both there, fixed and reunited, just like a metaphor for their relationship.

"Do you want me to put it on you?", Hoseok asked, already approaching it to Hyungwon's neck.

"Yes." Hyungwon got closer to him and let his hands go through the back of his neck, slowly and carefully. They were so close and the younger boy missed that so much. He just wanted to kiss him right there and regain him, make him his again.

What did happen, though, was that Hoseok was the one to kiss him first. Softly and smoothly, just like their first ever kisses were. Hyungwon missed those lips so much. He didn't want to let go, he didn't want the kiss and the happiness to end. He just wanted to freeze that moment and stay in it forever.

Hoseok was the first to break apart. Hyungwon felt his smile lightly pressed on his skin and it gave him cheels all over his body. He was happy too. They were happy. Everything was well.

"I missed you, Wonie", Hoseok said, breaking out of character of the boy who was supposed to be on his first date with the boy of his dreams.

"Missed you too, Seok-ah."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second one is here! It's a little shorter, I know. Just deal with it. I'll give you chapter 3 today too, to compensate :)
> 
> Thanks for reading! :3


	3. Chapter 3

_Mum, this is Hoseok-hyung. Hyung, this is my mum._

_Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Chae._

_Oh, call me Soonja. Come on in, would you like some coffee, Hoseok?_

_Yes, thank you._

_You found such a polite boy for you, Hyungwon-ah, you should learn some things from him._

_Mum~_

***

Things were going just perfect. Hyungwon and Hoseok's most recent date was a movie night, with a sleepover at the older's house. He lived in a mansion, but he only owned the second floor, the rest was his parent's. Technically, he was not living with his parents, but Hyungwon still mocked him about it sometimes, not really meaning it.

That night was really nice and good; they watched the latest Avengers movie in his living room and spent the night talking and snacking and playing some video games in his bedroom. Hyungwon ended up sleeping on a mattress on the floor, while Hoseok slept on his bed. It was only after they realised they couldn't really sleep apart from each other that Hoseok told Hyungwon he could sleep with him on his bed. They woke up intertwined with each other, their arms holding one another, and their foreheads touching. Hoseok woke Hyungwon up with morning kisses and the younger one was in the mood for cuddles.

It felt like they were dating for ages, like the break up didn't even happen. Hyungwon was so glad that they could make it work, he was ready to tell Jooheon he was wrong. And he knew his best friend would eventually be happy with that. And their whole relationship would go back to normal.

His mum was more difficult to convince, though. She thought her son just went mad.

"You were doing so well on your own!", she said, after he told her he was back with Hoseok. He never expected her to be all happy and proud of him, honestly, but he didn't expect a loud and judging tone from her either. "That boy did so many bad things to you, and now you're going back to him?! Because you saw him in the gym?!"

"I just couldn't stand there and not talk to him! Like I didn't know him at all!"

"But that's exactly what you should have done!" She sighed and Hyungwon rolled his eyes. "Don't roll your eyes at me! Not when you know I'm right!

"You're not right..." Hyungwon was now serious looking and his mum was truly worried.

"Hyungwonie... please don't make the same mistakes. Don't let love blind you."

Hyungwon just turned his back on her, went to his room and locked his door. He spent that night Skyping Hoseok.

***

"Why can't I come to your house? You always said I could..." Hyungwon was laying over Hoseok's lap, they both resting on the older's couch. Hoseok was rubbing his fingers on Hyungwon's hair and the younger was scrolling through Twitter and checking out Hoseok's most recent photos on his social media. His selfies always looked so great, he was still an ulzzang sometimes, after all. He got a serious job now and had other responsibilities, but he never left that part of him behind. That was one of the things Hyungwon actually disliked about him, but he now had to learn to not worry about that much.

"Yeah, the thing is", Hyungwon locked his phone and put it on the floor, beneath them, "my mum doesn't really like you now. And she's spending some days in town, so I don't know when will you get to be there. But I promise I'll let you in when she leaves again, or when she finally accepts I'm dating you again."

After some minutes of complete silence, Hyungwon felt Hoseok's hand leaving his hair.

"Hyungwonie...", he started, carefully pushing Hyungwon by his neck, so he would sit next to him. They were now both staring at each other. Hyungwon was not sure if he wanted to hear whatever his boyfriend was trying to say. "If you think this is not a good idea, we can stop, okay? I don't want to see you getting hurt again..."

"I'll get more hurt if we break up again."

"Well, you broke up with me, not the other way around..."

"Hoseok-hyung~" Hyungwon stared directly into his eyes and absorbed the moment. Being with him again was so great that he couldn't let them remember the bad stuff. That was why they were starting from zero. And Hyungwon didn't want to give up now. "I just think we need a second chance. Everything will go back to normal. I promise."

Hoseok didn't seem convinced, so Hyungwon placed his hands on the older's thigh, firmly.

"Do you... like, want some rules, or something? Like, of what we should avoid?"

Hoseok looked at him, thoughtful. Hyungwon had been thinking about that for quite some time now, actually. He knew he had his side under control, but he wasn't sure if Hoseok would do his part. Rules seemed like a good solution.

"What do you mean?", asked Hoseok, knowing exactly what he meant.

"We need rules." He grabbed a piece of paper, which was lying over the living table and searched for a pen. He found one next to the TV. "Rule number one. We shall not break up with each other."

"That's an intense number one rule", Hoseok said, mid laughing. Hyungwon quickly wrote that down in his clean, small calligraphy.

"Rule number two. We shall not cheat on each other." Hoseok felt like that one was targeted for him. He was the one who kissed another guy (while drunk, in his defence, according to his arguments). He was the one who tried to cover that with gifts and cuddles. He was the one who lied. He nodded on Hyungwon's direction, positive that it wouldn't happen again.

"Rule number three. We shall not arrive home drunk, late at night, when the other one was waiting for us." Another rule aimed for Hoseok. That's when he decided to interfere.

"Rule number four." The older boy took the piece of paper out of Hyungwon's hands and grabbed the pen. "We shall not be driven by jealousy and forbidden our partner to have a little fun sometimes."

Hyungwon looked a bit mad. He grabbed his piece of paper back, before Hoseok could properly finish writing the sentence.

"Rule number five. We shall not hang with other handsome guys just because we want to." He was not even writing it down anymore, he was now intensely focused on Hoseok's reactions.

"Rule number six", the older boy continued, not bothering taking the paper from Hyungwon. "We shall not forbidden our partner to have fucking friends."

"Rule number seven." The mood was heating up and Hyungwon was more afraid than ever. He wanted to stop all that teasing and tell Hoseok he was sorry for all his mistakes, but he just couldn't shut up now. The pride inside him was consuming his whole body. "We shall not kiss said friends and then lie about it!" He unintentionally screamed that. Hoseok looked hurt and in the verge of crying. The older boy was the first to give in.

"Wonie..." Hyungwon couldn't even think straight when his boyfriend gave him that look. That sad, painful look in his dark brown, rich coloured eyes. "Can't we just... stop fighting? For once?" Hyungwon didn't want to answer, scared his words would come out mean again. "I really missed you, love."

Hyungwon's heart melt all over again. Just like when they had their first date, or when they cuddled for the first time in his house. Or when he said the right, sweet things after arriving home at four a.m. from the bar where he just kissed another guy.

Hyungwon shook these thoughts out of his head. Things were different now, Hoseok would never do that again. He trusted him. He had to trust him.

Since words were not working, Hyungwon fell deep into action. He put his arms slowly around the older boy's neck and got closer to him. Their legs were now touching. Hoseok ran a hand through Hyungwon's chest and grabbed him by his waist. The younger boy sealed the space between their lips with a passionate, meaningful kiss. Hoseok was smiling, as Hyungwon enjoyed his happiness and delivery all over again. After some long seconds, the taller boy stepped back a little to readjust himself on top of Hoseok. He was now sitting on his lap, his legs grabbing him by the waist.

"I like this better than fighting", Hoseok whispered, right before a soft peck on Hyungwon's upper lip.

"Me too, bunny." Hoseok smiled at the sound of his boyfriend's pet name for him and attacked with another kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Next chapter comes tomorrow :3


	4. Chapter 4

_Where were you? We were supposed to watch a movie together tonight._

_Oh, I'm so sorry! I was in the pub with Changkyun. You know him; black hair, small eyes, younger than us._

_Oh, I know him._

_Yeah, he's cool._

_We were supposed to watch a movie tonight._

_Hey, I'm sorry. We can watch it now, though, we still have time._

_It's four a.m._

_Let's go to bed, then. I'll keep you warm. Come on._

***

It was happening again.

Hyungwon was laid on his couch, watching some movie on television. There was an empty package of chips on the floor. He had a grey, old blanket covering him, half falling.

His mum had left about three weeks before. She didn't want to, it was Hyungwon who sent her subliminal messages so she would leave him alone.

So he had been spending those days with Hoseok. He was finally passing by his house again and things were staring to look hopeful. Hyungwon knew they were following the right path.

That day, Hoseok was supposed to go to his house so they would play some video games and eventually sleep together. He was supposed to be there by eight. It was half past eleven.

Hyungwon didn't want to think about it, though, about how late his boyfriend was. Maybe something happened to him. Maybe he fell asleep. And Hyungwon didn't want to call him just yet, he didn't want to look desperate. It was his jealousy that led them to a dark path before, he had to contain himself this time.

The movie on TV ended shortly before midnight. The commercials kicked in, so Hyungwon changed the channel. After ten minutes of going through channels, he decided to just open Netflix and watch their new drama. The plot was interesting enough.

After a while, he started yawning. His tired eyes were beginning to close, but Hyungwon was determined to not let himself sleep. He would wait for Hoseok for longer.

When he finally arrived home, Hyungwon had already finished two entire forty-minute episodes. He was almost asleep when he heard someone softly knocking on his door. He lazily got up and dragged himself through his living room until he reached the entrance door.

"Hey, honey", Hoseok said, as soon as he saw Hyungwon on the other side. He leaned up to press a kiss on the younger's cheek, but the boy didn't look happy to see him.

"Where were you?"

"Sorry, I know we were supposed to have a date night kind of thing, but then Changhyun called and he was so drunk, I had to take him home." Hyungwon stared at him, thinking about whether or not he would buy that story. "I'll compensate for you! I promise."

"You could have called. I was worried about you." Which was not entirely true and that was the problem they always had; they always ended up lying.

"Yeah, my phone ran out of battery, sorry." He reached out for his phone on his pocket and showed it to Hyungwon. It was dead indeed.

"It's okay. Let's just go to sleep then." Hoseok smiled and Hyungwon was trying his best to move on. Hearing Hoseok's friend's name again was painful, but the younger boy still trusted him, he still had to. For their relationship's sake.

As soon as they entered Hyungwon's bedroom, Hoseok went to charge his phone. The only plug available was on Hyungwon's side of the bed, so that's where he put it. Meanwhile, the younger boy was searching for something he could wear. After a lot of thinking, he grabbed a plain white T-shirt. Hoseok concluded the boy would be sleeping on his boxers.

The older boy, on the other hand, was already taking his shirt and pants off. He couldn't sleep with much clothing on and obviously Hyungwon knew that. Nevertheless, it was still a shock to see his boyfriend shirtless, sat on his bed. Hoseok never stopped working out, his wide shoulders were as attractive as ever. Plus, his biceps were still huge and perfect. Hyungwon felt his heart go weak, when Hoseok turned around and showed off his god-like six pack. Hyungwon wasn't missing only the kissing, he missed his body too.

"Enjoying the view?", Hoseok asked, going as shy as ever right after that. Hyungwon felt his own face turn red as he quickly looked away and kept changing.

Hoseok was already lying on his side of the bed when Hyungwon pulled the covers to get himself comfortable too. They were now facing each other, with Hyungwon's arms around Hoseok and their legs intertwined.

"You're so warm, hyung." Hyungwon always felt warm when he was next to his boyfriend. Not only temperature wise, but this warm also felt like it was filling the holes on the younger boy's heart. It felt really good.

"I'll always be warm for you, honey." Hyungwon smiled and squeezed Hoseok tighter to himself.

"I love you, Seok-ah."

"Love you too, Wonie", Hoseok replied under his breath.

They fell asleep some minutes later.

***

Hyungwon woke up first. He had turned around some time during that night, because he was now facing the bedside table. Everything was dark and his eyes were still adapting. He didn't want to turn around, afraid he would wake Hoseok up. Even without looking at him, he knew he was probably all cute and innocent, and Hyungwon always hated to wake him up suddenly. Besides, it must had been still too early. Curiosity eventually took over the younger boy and he stretched his arm to the table to grab a phone. The first one he felt was Hoseok's, which was already charged. He took the phone out of the charger and took a look at the hours.

Though, he never actually looked at the hours that morning. His attention was driven to the notifications, right under the digital clock. Seven messages. From no other than Changkyun himself.

Hyungwon wanted to put the phone down right away. He wanted to forget he saw the notifications. He wanted to try and not make a big deal out of it. But there were seven messages. And Hoseok was clearly still asleep. And Hyungwon prayed that he still had the same PIN from some months ago.

He gave it a try.

And he got it right. It was the day of their first date. His heart jumped when he realised he never changed it.

Now he felt even more guilty. This was the kind of thing he should not be doing if he wanted a second chance. He still remembers the first time he took a look at his boyfriend's phone and his finger went intuitively to the messages' button. That time, Hoseok was not even home, he left to go buy some groceries and forgot his phone on the kitchen counter. That was when Hyungwon found out about all of Hoseok's friends and the pub they went every Friday. That was when jealousy consumed the younger boy's heart and things only got worse from then.

Hyungwon's fingers were shaking. His thumb was slowly approaching the little blue messages' icon. When he clicked it, he immediately closed his eyes. But then he just couldn't contain himself. There was too much adrenaline going through his body, he would not give up now. Even knowing Hoseok was mere centimetres behind him. And that he could wake up at any moment now.

Hyungwon could hear his own heartbeat as he scrolled up at Changkyun's private chat with Hoseok.

_did u leave??_

_i can't see you_

_you probably left_

_hey i had fun tonight!!!_

_u coming next saturday too?_

_u can pick me up again i don't have a license_

_btw you left me without a ride home hOW AM I SUPPOSED TO GET HOME NOW??? SCREW YOU!! jk i love u. i'm gonna ask minhyunkie_

Those were the most recent messages from Changkyun. Hyungwon just wanted to cry.

Hoseok lied to him. Again. He didn't pick him up to drive him home because he was drunk, he went to the pub with him. And left him there, apparently. But Changkyun didn't seem too mad. That "i love u" was still stuck on Hyunhwon's throat.

The younger boy quickly put the phone back on the table as soon as he felt Hoseok moving behind him. He pretended nothing ever happened and hid his hands under his head. Some minutes after, he felt Hoseok's hand moving around on his waist. Then his boyfriend's forehead rested on the back of his hair.

"G'morning", Hyungwon whispered, faking a soft smile on his face. Hoseok moaned in response and went quiet for a few moments, only lightly rubbing his fingers on Hyungwon's tummy.

Hyungwon was not ready to fully wake him up. He didn't want those few next seconds to ever end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading again!! Only two to go! Next chapters tomorrow!


	5. Chapter 5

_Are you breaking up with me?_

_Maybe._

_I can't believe you, Hyungwon! Why?!_

_We both know why._

_Hyungwonie, please don't. We can fix this. We can make it work._

_Maybe._

_Then, is there a chance?_

_Just leave. Hoseok._

***

Four days later, they were finishing washing the dishes after dining together at Hyungwon's house, when Hoseok got a message. He put the plate he was holding down and grabbed his phone, which was standing on the counter. Hyungwon took a glance at him; he was biting his bottom lip. He then returned to the sink and kept washing.

"Done." After finishing all up, Hoseok grabbed Hyungwon from behind and left him a peck right under his ear. "I gotta go now."

"Already?" Hyungwon slowly turned to him and put his arms around the older's neck. He stared intensely at him. No way he was going to lie to him again. He trusted him not to.

"Yeah." Hoseok pressed his lips on the younger's and started moving his hands on his back. "Changkyun is drunk. Again." He ran a hand through his boyfriend's forehead to take away some delicate pink hairs. "I gotta go get him." After a last kiss on the lips, he turned around and started looking for his keys. He didn't found them. "Wonie, have you seen my-"

When he turned around to the younger boy again, Hyungwon was holding them in one hand and he didn't look satisfied, he looked... mad.

"Oh, thanks." When he went to grab the keys, Hyungwon stepped back and looked at him. He had this look on his face that always indicated he was about to cry. Hoseok didn't know why, though.

"Hey, love." The older boy got closer to him and went to place a hand on the younger's waist but Hyungwon declined. "What's wrong?"

"Tell me the truth, Hoseok-ah." He looked confident, but shattered. Just like when he first broke up with him. "Where are you going?"

"I told you. I'm going to pick my friend up from a party. I'll come back." Hoseok's voice was trembling and he was sure Hyungwon noticed that too.

"Hoseok-ah." A small tear shed from Hyungwon's eyes and his lips were shaking. "I know you're lying."

Hoseok bit his lip. Of course he knew. What did he secretly saw behind his back this time? A call? A message? Or was Hoseok too predictable? After all, the older boy always knew none of them would ever change, even though he tried not to admit that, not to Hyungwon and not to himself.

"I know you're going to that pub again. With your friends. And Changkyun. Do you consider him your friend too, or something more? You know, a kiss back then could mean more now." It was obvious to Hoseok that Hyungwon had been holding all of that to himself for a long time now. When did he find out? Some weeks ago? A few days? For how much time had Hoseok been lying to him? He couldn't know. "You know what? Just go. Have fun." He didn't say it in an inviting tone, though.

"Honey, I'm sorry. I won't go, then. I'll stay with you." And then there was Hoseok trying to fix things up again, as if he hadn't been lying all along.

"Oh, please. So now your friend doesn't need your help anymore. Who did he ask to bring him home? Minhyuk? Do you go out with him too?" Now Hoseok was starting to figure things up. Because he never mentioned Minhyuk to Hyungwon. He was a recent friend he made after their break up.

"Hyungwon", he started, looking at him. "Did you read my messages?" Hyungwon didn't reply. His cheeks were going red. "Again?! Hyungwon, my messages are private! I already told you! Don't you ever learn?"

"I'm not the one who's being the bad boyfriend here! You lied to me!"

"And you disrespected my privacy!" Their voice tones were now louder and stronger. It felt like breaking up all over again. Neither of them were enjoying it, but neither of them would be able to stop that. "That's why I can't be honest with you! If I had told you the truth, you'd still be mad at me!"

"Because you've been hanging out with a guy who said he loves you!" Hyungwon knew his jealousy was speaking over his heart, but now it was too late to stop. It was already happening. "How do you think that makes me feel?!"

"Well, yeah, I've been hanging out with Changkyun, because, by the way, that "guy" has a name! And he's fun, you should come too!"

"You know I don't like pubs."

"Then stay home! I don't know! What do you expect me to do? Spend the rest of my days stuck with you in this house listening to you talking about your boring life and making me coffee?"

"You don't seriously mean that." It was when he saw Hyungwon's hurt expression, that Hoseok knew he was too far. No, he didn't mean that at all. Of course he enjoyed spending time with Hyungwon, he truly loved him. He loved his presence and his long chats about his life and his perfectly made coffees that were always on point. That's what he missed the most when they went apart. But if he didn't actually mean that, why did he say it? Because maybe he felt, for once, that he was not the only one to blame for all of their fighting. Hyungwon was a bad boyfriend too.

"Hyungwonie~" Hoseok went to grab his keys again and Hyungwon let him. They were both tired and weak. They didn't want to fight anymore. But they couldn't avoid it either. "We should never had gotten back together in the first place. We're not good for each other."

They were not good for each other. And that's when Hyungwon realised they never actually started from zero. They had simply been following the same path all over again. And maybe that was it. They were not good for each other. But they loved each other still. And that was not healthy at all.

"Bye, Hoseok-hyung." His cold tears were now covering his face. They were breaking rule number one. Rules number one should never be broken. But they needed to break this one.

He didn't hold Hoseok back when he headed to the door. He didn't grab his arm when he turned around. He didn't say any other last words when he tilted the door handle and pulled it. He didn't stop crying either.

"I'm sorry, Wonie."

With one last glance, he went through the door and closed it behind him. As soon as he did, Hyungwon let himself fall on the floor and started actually crying.


	6. Epilogue

The day was bright and clear, as summer was born in the warmth of June. Hyungwon was on his way to his workplace, the coffee shop he always dreamed of working at.

He greeted his colleagues as he went to the back to grab his apron and his notebook. He was still learning the dynamics of his new job. Being an employee there was very different from being a client.

It was a great morning, a lot of clients with a joyful behaviour, it was always like that in the beginning of spring and summer, according to his colleagues. It seemed like everyone was more fresh at the start of a new season.

Hyungwon himself felt younger. And brighter. Getting that job was hard, but it was definitely worth it. He had a good view to the river everyday and the atmosphere was always light. Their boss was always reminding them to keep a smile on their faces all the time, but Hyungwon found out it was really not that difficult.

His fifteen-minute break time was approaching, when Hyungwon saw Jooheon entering the cafe. It was the first time he saw him there after getting the job, his best friend had been particularly busy those last few weeks. He had a new album coming out and he must prepare for the promotion. When Jooheon saw his friend behind the counter, he smiled, proud of his achievement.

"Hey!", Jooheon greeted, when he was close enough to Hyungwon. The later smiled from ear to ear and let out a little laugh, slightly embarrassed.

"Welcome to our coffee shop! What will you want?"

"An Americano and one of those delicious bagels you always have waiting for me."

"Right away! You can take a seat and I'll bring them to you in a minute!"

Hyungwon turned around to prepare the coffee, while his co-worker grabbed the bagel. After taking the coffee, Hyungwon looked at the clock. Two minutes before his break.

"Go on, have your break", his colleague said, noticing the boy's intentions. "Is he your friend?"

"Yeah. My best friend."

"Can you get an autograph from him for me? I'm a huge fan."

"Will do." Hyungwon took off his apron and brought the Americano cup and the bagel to his friend's table. He sat in front of him, like he always did.

"So, your new job. Wow. A dream come true, isn't it?"

"Yes. I'm happy to be here. It's so nice!"

Hyungwon asked him for the autograph before he forgot about it and then they just kept talking, like they were just hanging out on their favourite cafe as they always used to.

"Hey, look who just arrived." Jooheon was pointing with his head to a place behind Hyungwon. When he turned around, he saw the cute employee. Which was now his cute co-worker.

"Oh, it's Connor. I talked with him yesterday. He comes from overseas, although he was born in Korea." Hyungwon felt himself daydreaming about those small freckles and foreign accent before turning to his best friend again. "You're lucky he didn't mention our first encounter. It would be awkward and I would blame you."

"Oh, come on. You'll thank me some day." Jooheon was smiling, before taking one more sip from his cup. "Your break must be ending. Here, take the money."

Hyungwon took the money and saved the generous tip for himself, before going back to the counter.

"I'll come again tomorrow."

"Please don't, you're famous, you're embarrassing me."

Jooheon jokingly mocked him before leaving the shop, leaving Hyungwon with a genuine smile on his face.

And when he went again behind the counter and saw Hoseok passing by through the window shop, Hyungwon swallowed his irrational desires and smiled again, leaving the past finally behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading until the end!! Hope you enjoyed it :3
> 
> And happy fanfic author appreciation day to all fanfic writers reading this!! ^_^

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, thanks for reading! :3  
> New chapters are coming in the next days (hopefully the second one comes tomorrow).
> 
> My first language is not English, so if you notice any error plase do tell me, thanks!


End file.
